protect and (pre)serve
by klayn
Summary: A side story in the I (don't) love you verse, where Barton Mathis (the Dollmaker) escapes from Iron Heights and attempts to get revenge on Quentin Smoak.


Felicity was at work when she saw her father and another police officer enter the building on the computer she was using to watch the security feed. Looking at her father, Felicity frowned. He had a determined expression on his face, which could only mean one thing- she was getting a police escort.

When her father knocked on her office door, Felicity told him to come in, and he and the officer- whose last name was Parker, apparently- entered. Before her father could speak, Felicity said, "Why do I need a police escort?"

Her father looked a bit startled, but then said, "Do you remember a guy named the Dollmaker?"

Felicity thought for a moment. "He killed young women and made them into "dolls". Which were creepy and disgusting. What happened?"

"He escaped- God knows how- and started up his…hobby again," he replied. "He also- left me a message saying that he's going to get revenge on me by killing my girls, and I can't have that. So until we catch this psycho, you and your sisters are getting a police escort."

Felicity looked up at Officer Parker, who nodded at her. "Okay. Um, would it be helpful if I did some, uh, poking around online to try and find him? Unofficially, of course."

"Are you going to hack the SCPD records?" asked her father suspiciously.

"I haven't had to- not today," replied Felicity. "And I don't really like using the word "hack". It's such an ugly word, like, hacking a corpse. Which I've never done. Which- why don't you go back to work before I say more things. Oh, and Officer Parker-"

"Call me Gabe," he interrupted.

"Okay, Gabe, why don't you wait outside." At the skeptical looks from both her father and Gabe, Felicity said, "That door is the only entrance to this room, and the Dollmaker is not in here. And I like to work alone."

"Okay, just- be safe," replied her father, pulling Felicity into a hug.

"I'll be safe, Dad, I promise," she said. "Now go and see if you can catch this monster without my help."

* * *

><p>"Hey Dad, I think I might have found something," said Felicity when her father picked up his cell phone. "Um, about the case that I'm definitely not helping you on."<p>

"Go on," her father said.

"So, you said that you didn't really know how he was selecting his victims the first time, right? Well, I saw that one of his previous victims had chemicals on her skin that match chemicals that were on the skin of his most recent victim."

"And that means- what, exactly?"

"It means that I did some digging and found that the chemicals match the formula for a skin cream," said Felicity. "Then I did some more- digging, and found that all the previous victims bought the same skin cream. From the same shop, too. As a result of that, I may have sent the shop an email that said that the latest batch of that product they received had to be recalled for health purposes. So, the Dollmaker won't be able to get more victims, which will make him desperate, and desperate people make mistakes."

"It'll certainly give us more time to catch him," replied her father. "Thanks, Felicity."

"No problem," said Felicity. "I'm just going to get back to work now."

* * *

><p>Oliver was perched on the rooftop of a building across the street from the restaurant where Tommy and Laurel were having dinner. He'd been planning on going back to Tommy's mansion after taking down Ezra Barnes, but as he was making his way back to his bike, he'd caught a glimpse of Laurel and Tommy sitting at a table outside a restaurant.<p>

Now, watching them interact, Oliver was beginning to think that Isabel had been right in saying that Laurel wasn't nearly as interested in Tommy as Tommy was interested in Laurel. While Tommy looked like the dictionary definition of "in love", Laurel smiled and laughed, but in a very reserved way.

Just as Oliver was about to leave, a flicker of movement in the alley next to the restaurant caught his eye. There was a glimpse of white hair and glasses, and Oliver felt his heart speed up a bit in excitement. Barton Mathis, aka the Dollmaker, was here.

_What is he doing here?_ Oliver wondered. He knew it had been days since Mathis had made another "doll", but did he have a potential target in mind now?

As if on cue, Oliver heard Laurel laugh at something Tommy said, and watched as Mathis's face contorted in anger. So his target was Laurel, which would mean that not only was Tommy in possible danger right now, he'd be devastated if Laurel was killed.

With a sigh, Oliver pulled out his phone and called Police Chief Lance's number. Instead of being picked up, the phone rang 4 times, then cut out. Down below, Oliver saw Mathis turn around and stalk into the darkness of the alley. Oliver heard the sound of a car door opening then closing a few seconds later, and realized that Mathis probably already had Lance, and most likely in a van.

Mathis came back to the edge of the alley, holding a rag in his hand. Both he and Oliver tensed as Tommy and Laurel got up and started to walk towards the entrance to the restaurant.

"Would you like to do this again?" Tommy's voice filtered up to Oliver's position. "Or…something else?"

"Let's do this again," replied Laurel, who smiled politely. "I'll text you."

"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" asked Tommy.

"It's okay, I'll take a cab," answered Laurel. "Goodnight, Tommy."

"Goodnight," Tommy replied, then turned and walked away from Laurel to his car. Laurel walked right past the alley, where Mathis reached out and grabbed her, the hand holding the rag going over her face. She stopped struggling a few seconds later, and Mathis hauled her into the alley.

The sound of a car door opening and a thump jarred Oliver into action. He quickly dialed Tommy's number on his Arrow phone, and Oliver saw Tommy reach into his pocket to answer the phone.

"Hello-"

"Tommy Merlyn. I just saw the Dollmaker kidnap your girlfriend. I think he also has her father with him. I'm going to need to follow them in your car, because I don't have a vehicle with me."

"I'm not just going to-"

Tommy jumped as Oliver fired an arrow that landed in front of him. "Do you want her to die?!"

"N-no!" exclaimed Tommy. "Fine, you can use my car, but I'm coming with you."

"Good," said Oliver, then ended the call. He slid over the roof of the building, slowing himself down by catching the windowsills. Once he landed, he ran over to Tommy, who was looking at his phone with a confused expression, and said, "Car keys."

Tommy quickly fished them out of his pocket. From the corner of his eye, Oliver saw a white van exit the alley, and quickly opened the door. A few seconds later, he and Tommy were both in the car, and Oliver did a quick U-turn and drove off after the van.

Oliver caught sight of the van and maneuvered Tommy's car to tail it from 3 cars behind. He heard Tommy moving in the backseat, then Tommy said, "Who- who are you?"

"Someone who has no interest in seeing an innocent woman die at the hands of a psychopath," replied Oliver, thankful that he was still using his voice distorter. "Now be quiet."

"Or what?" asked Tommy shakily.

"I need you to help me," Oliver said. "Mathis has Laurel and her father in that van. When they get to Mathis's lair, I'll get Laurel first and you'll take her somewhere safe, which is why we're taking your car."

"But-"

"Would you prefer seeing Laurel die?" asked Oliver.

"No," said Tommy quietly. "No, I wouldn't."

"Good. Now be quiet," Oliver commanded.

Oliver tailed Mathis to a warehouse, slowing Tommy's car down, then stopping when Mathis parked the van. As Oliver watched, Mathis got out of the van and opened the back, revealing the bound and unconscious bodies of Laurel and Quentin Smoak.

Mathis removed Quentin's body first and took him into the warehouse. As soon as he was out of sight, Oliver dashed over to the van and grabbed Laurel's body, then hurried back to Tommy's car with her. Tommy was standing outside the car now.

"Remember- somewhere _safe_," Oliver said.

"Yeah," said Tommy as Oliver lay Laurel across the backseat. Oliver handed Tommy his keys, then ran towards the warehouse. As Oliver ran inside, he heard Tommy drive off.

The warehouse was very big, and Oliver stilled his body, listening for any sounds that would indicate where Mathis was. After a few seconds of silence, Oliver heard a faint sound from the hallway ahead of him, and he took off towards the sound, trying to make himself as silent as possible.

Near the end of the hallway, Oliver slowed down. The hallway opened up into another large room with a brightly lit spot in the center where Mathis was currently stirring something in a large pot. There was a bunch of equipment and a pole opposite an upright operating table, which Quentin Lance was currently tied to.

Mathis was talking, and as Oliver crept closer, he started to be able to hear what Mathis was saying. "…of course. You, _Chief Smoak_, will stay alive while I make all of your daughters into dolls. They are so beautiful, you know, and beauty like theirs deserves to be preserved."

Oliver silently nocked an arrow, keeping it trained on Mathis as he moved around the spot of light. "Mathis, listen to me, please. Your quarrel is with me, not with my daughters. Leave them out of this," Quentin pleaded.

"That is _exactly_ why I need to involve your daughters," snarled Mathis. "You destroyed my life. It's only fair that I destroy yours. Besides, I think your daughters are lovely, although I'm not sure whether Laurel or Felicity will make a prettier doll… On second thought, Felicity will. I think I'll save her for last."

Oliver was startled when he saw the arrow he had nocked fly from his bow and knock over the pot that Mathis had been stirring. Mathis actually jumped in shock, but Oliver was already ready again, another arrow nocked. He moved out into the open.

"You won't be killing anyone else," Oliver growled, stalking closer. He turned to face Quentin and said, "Your daughter is safe. You, however…" he turned to face Mathis. "Aren't."

Mathis yelled inarticulately and charged at Oliver, who released the arrow straight into his neck. Mathis fell to the floor, twitched a few times, then went still, blood rapidly pooling below his body.

Oliver walked over to Quentin, who said, "Laurel's safe? Where is she?"

"I don't know," replied Oliver. "I told Tommy Merlyn to take her somewhere safe, so I'd suggest calling her." Oliver quickly slashed the ropes tying Quentin to the pillar and took off, not waiting around for the other man to try to capture him. The Vigilante, after all, was a wanted criminal, and Oliver knew that saving his and his daughter's life wouldn't necessarily do much to endear him to the Police Chief.

Once Oliver left the warehouse, he spent another half an hour getting back to his bike, which he then drove back to Tommy's mansion. He was halfway down the driveway when he saw Tommy's car parked in front of the house.

Oliver frowned. He had been planning on just parking in the garage and going into the house, but Tommy didn't know he was the Vigilante, so he couldn't risk being seen with the green leather and mask. Fortunately for himself, however, he had brought a change of clothes with him, and he swerved into the woods, driving for a minute before parking the bike.

He was just putting the leather outfit away when his phone rang. Oliver picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Oliver! Okay, um- where are you?" said Tommy.

"Coming back, why?"

"Um- just hurry up. I- I need to talk to you."

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Oliver replied. He put his phone back into his pocket and turned on the bike, then drove back to the road leading up to the driveway.

Tommy was standing at the entrance when Oliver pulled up, twisting his hands nervously. "Laurel Smoak is here right now," he said. "And not because we're doing anything. She, um- I'll explain what happened."

Tommy led Oliver to the library. "So, Laurel and I went out for dinner tonight, and it was- lovely. We parted ways, she said that she'd take a cab home. A-a few seconds later, I got called- on my _cell phone_- by the Vigilante."

"What?" asked Oliver in feigned surprise. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know," replied Tommy. "Anyway, he said that the Dollmaker had Laurel and her father in a van, and that he needed to use my car. So, he- we, I guess- followed the Dollmaker to a warehouse, and I guess the Vigilante took care of him and Laurel's father. He gave me Laurel and told me to bring her somewhere safe, so I brought her here. She's still unconscious, but I think she's going to wake up soon."

"Well, um…what do you want me to say?" asked Oliver.

"Um, nothing- I just needed to get that out, I guess," answered Tommy.

"Okay, you got it out. Why don't you go check up on her? You said she might be waking up, and it'd probably help if there was a familiar face."

Tommy nodded and hurried off, leaving Oliver alone in the library. He stood there for a few minutes, staring into space, before he went to his room.

In the silence of his room, Oliver finally started to go over his actions that night. Everything had been normal up until he'd somehow managed to release his first arrow at Mathis without conscious thought. Why was that?

_I'm not sure whether Laurel or Felicity will make a prettier doll… On second thought, Felicity will. I think I'll save her for last._

Mathis's words floated through Oliver's mind, and Oliver felt a sudden surge of rage at the thought of Mathis getting his hands on Felicity. What was that about? Sure, he knew he was attracted to Felicity, but mere attraction couldn't explain away the rage he'd felt.

Oliver shook his head, then took off his clothes and started to get ready for bed. When he went to sleep, it was with a single thought in his mind.

_I cannot have feelings for Felicity Smoak._


End file.
